


It's only temporary

by a_dot_burr_ell



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, supercat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-05-29 20:35:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6392749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_dot_burr_ell/pseuds/a_dot_burr_ell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a threat gets too close to Carter for comfort, Cat cashes in a favor with Supergirl in order to keep her son safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with another Supercat story for you all :)

Cat looked down at her phone, trying to wrap her brain around what she was seeing. She’d just gotten out of a board meeting where her personal phone had been vibrating out of control in her coat pocket.

_Missed Call 2:39 Martha (Nanny)_

_Missed Call 2:41 Martha (Nanny)_

_Message From: Martha (Nanny) Received at 2:43 p.m.  
There was a possible break in at your apartment. Calling National City Police Department._

_Missed Call 2: 51 Martha (Nanny)_

_Message From: Martha (Nanny) Received at 3:05 p.m.  
Police will be calling you. Waiting for Carter._

_Message From: Martha (Nanny) Received at 3:07 p.m.  
Carter OK. Bringing him to the office instead._

Cat hit the send button on the nanny’s contact listing, her panic rising as the dial tone sounded. Martha answered after only two rings, the young girl’s voice hushed and thick with anxiety. “Hello, Ms. Grant?”

“Martha! What happened?” Cat demanded, pacing the length of her office.

“Ms. Grant, I’m so sorry,” Martha answered, sounding harried. “I arrived at your apartment twenty minutes before Carter got home from school, like I usually do, but the door was slightly open and it was hanging crooked. I was worried so I called the police and waited for Carter outside—I wasn’t sure if you wanted him to see.”

“No, no, that’s fine,” Cat assured her, taking a deep breath. “It’s probably best for me to tell him when I have some actual answers.”

A light knock on her door caught her attention and Cat whirled around to see Kara poking her head into the office. “Ms. Grant? I have the NCPD for you on line one. They say it’s urgent.”

“Martha, we’ll talk more when you get here, I’ve got the police on the other line,” Cat said, pinching the bridge of her nose with one hand; she could feel a migraine coming on.

“Of course, Ms. Grant,” Martha replied before ending the call.

Cat hit the lock button on her phone and slid the device into her pocket. “I’ll take that call now,” she said to Kara, seating herself behind her desk once more. “Thank you, Kiera,” Cat added when she saw her assistant still hovering by the door. Kara frowned but didn’t comment, returning to her desk and forwarding the call to Cat’s desk. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Cat picked up the receiver. “This is Cat Grant.”

“Ms. Grant, I’m Lieutenant Richardson with the National City PD,” a gruff voice on the other line started. “I’m calling because we responded to a call from your nanny, a Ms. Martha Lintz, about a possible break-in.”

“Yes, I’ve been informed,” Cat said, grabbing a pen and notepad just in case.

“We did a preliminary sweep of your apartment and nothing appears to be missing but we did find a suspicious package that turned out to be a rudimentary explosive,” he continued. Cat’s breath hitched in her throat. A bomb, they’d found a bomb in her house. “We’ve evacuated the building and are performing a more detailed search now but I’d recommend a sweep of your vehicles, secondary properties, and your office, as well. If you could, we’d like if you could make a list of anyone who may be upset or holding a grudge against you whether it be personal or professional.”

Cat’s mind immediately flashed to Leslie and Siobhan, two ex-employees who had already tried to take her out. “Of course, whatever you need.”

“We can have a secondary squad head out to your office and begin the search,” the lieutenant said. “We can get you back into your home as soon as the bomb squad gives the all clear, but it still might be a couple of hours.”

“Of course,” Cat sighed, rubbing her temple. “Thank you, lieutenant.”

“I’m sure we’ll speak soon, ma’am,” he said, hanging up.

Cat scowled at the use of the word ma’am; she hated that. She rang up her head of security, informing him of the situation and instructing the building to be put on lockdown until the police arrived once her son had gotten here. “Kiera!” Cat shouted, replacing the phone on the receiver. She waited a second for Kara to enter the room at a run. “Get me a list from HR of all the terminated employees over the last six months.” She paused, thinking. “And pull a list of any negative press that involved CatCo in that same time period, too.” If it wasn’t a disgruntled employee, it may have been someone that CatCo had pissed off in print.

Kara jotted her instructions down in her notepad before looking at Cat with a look of practiced cluelessness on her face. “Ms. Grant, is everything okay?”

Cat stared passively at her assistant, trying to measure how much the girl already knew. She had probably used her superhearing to listen in on Cat’s conversation but, without revealing who she was, couldn’t come right out and say it. “No,” Cat said after a moment, deciding that, either way, her assistant should be briefed on the situation. “There was a bomb found at my home and the police are on their way to do a search of the building.”

“Is Carter okay?” Kara asked immediately, genuine concern breaking through her carefully crafted expression.

“Carter is fine,” Cat said, unable to hide the relief in her own voice. “He’s on the way with the nanny now.”

“What do you need?” Kara asked, sounding so much like Supergirl that Cat’s head snapped up to make sure that it was Kara Danvers standing in front of her instead of the caped hero. Kara was staring at Cat intently, strength and confidence radiating from the girl in a way that Cat had missed from her last few encounters with Supergirl.

“Actually,” Cat said slowly, thinking. “I’d rather not have Carter here while the police search the building. Do you think you could take him out for the rest of the afternoon?”

Kara’s mouth opened slightly in surprise at the request. “You want me to watch Carter?” she asked, all her previous bravado vanishing.

Cat knew she was thinking back to the last time she’d been entrusted with her son but Cat knew the difference now. Before, she’d thought that Kara had been irresponsible with her son to the point that they’d needed Supergirl to intervene. Now, Cat knew that Kara was Supergirl—the personality shift that had Cat so worried about her assistant ending at the same time Supergirl came to her senses was too big of a coincidence—but Cat had kept that information under her hat ever since.

“I think I can trust you to keep him out of trouble for a couple of hours,” Cat said, hoping her playful tone would bring back the confidence Kara had been previously displaying.

“But what about you?” Kara asked, frowning.

“Kiera, I think I can manage sans assistant for the rest of the afternoon,” Cat replied pointedly.

“No,” Kara shook her head. “I meant, are you going to stay while they search the building?”

“I’m not leaving the building until everyone else has left or we get the all clear,” Cat told her. Kara looked like she was about to argue so Cat continued. “The building will be crawling with National City’s finest until the job is done. Carter is the priority,” she added.

Kara absorbed that and nodded. “Of course,” she said softly. “I’ll email those lists to you before he gets here.”

Kara turned and left the office, leaving Cat to compile her personal list of enemies before the authorities arrived. Kara ended up emailing her what she needed not long after, even sending Cat all the changes she’d made to her schedule for later. A call from security only a few minutes later let her know that Carter and Martha were on their way up and Cat pushed her anxieties out of her mind in preparation to greet her son. Martha looked pale and skittish with a faint tremble to her hands, but Carter looked no worse for the wear, bounding into her office and pulling Cat into a tight hug.

“Hey, mom,” he said, pulling back from her and standing with his hands on the straps of his backpack. “What’s up?”

“Carter,” she smiled tightly. “I have a couple of things to discuss with Martha so I was hoping you’d be okay with Kiera taking you out for the rest of the afternoon.”

Carter looked at her strangely but nodded, glancing back to where Kara was seated. “Uh, sure…”

“Great, why don’t you go tell Kiera you’re ready to go,” Cat said, ushering him out of the office. Carter did as she asked, exiting the office and wandering up to Kara’s desk. Kara greeted Carter immediately, the wide smile on her assistant’s face visible from here. Her son nodded in response to whatever Kara said and he turned and gave Cat a wave goodbye as Kara steered him towards the elevator. Cat returned his wave with one of her own and took a deep breath as she watched them go. Carter would be fine; he was with Supergirl. “Sorry, Martha, ” Cat said, turning towards the frightened nanny. “Let’s get this over with, I’m sure you’re eager to get home before they completely lock down the building.”

* * *

“Something’s going on, isn’t it?” Carter asked.

“I don’t know,” Kara answered, her hand pausing on the spoon that was buried in her own pint of banana ice cream. Carter had judged her choice as plain until she had loaded it full of white chocolate chips, and marshmallows, earning the approving nod of a thirteen year old. His playful mood seemed to have disappeared, however, as he was now frowning into his triple fudge and brownie ice cream.

“You don’t know, or my mom doesn’t want you to tell me?” Carter challenged, taking another bite.

“A little of both?” Kara qualified, smiling softly in the hopes that Carter would accept her answer. It was true that Cat had given her a general idea of what had happened before she left, but she knew that she wasn’t allowed to share that with Carter. “I’m sure your mom will let you know if there’s anything to worry about.”

“But it’s dangerous?” Carter pressed, obviously ignoring Kara’s attempts to placate him. “Because I saw the police cars at the apartment and when we were leaving CatCo. Plus, Martha looked like she was ready to pass out when she met me after school.”

Kara thought back to the conversation she'd overheard in Cat's office. It had been lucky that Carter's nanny had the foresight to call the police before entering the apartment; Kara shuddered to think what might had happened otherwise. “Carter, your mom is fine,” she assured him.

“How do you know?” He asked, eyes wide.

Kara pulled out her phone. “I’ve been keeping tabs.” It was true that James and Winn were keeping her updated with texts about the situation, but she was also keeping a close eye with her X-ray vision in between bites of ice cream. Even from here, Kara could see Cat sitting safely in her office while the police searched CatCo room by room. “I promise you, as soon as I hear something I’ll let you know.”

Carter seemed to accept that, sinking back against his seat and focusing back on his ice cream. They ate in silence for several minutes—Kara finishing her treat much faster than the thirteen year old sitting across from her—and tried to decide what to do next. They’d wasted an hour eating a late lunch at Noonan’s before relocating to the ice cream parlor they were currently at, all with the goal of staying within a few seconds flight of CatCo in case anything went wrong. Kara could tell that Carter was getting full and so she wouldn’t be able to relocate them to another restaurant. She was debating taking him to her apartment when her phone rang.

“Oh, I think it’s your mom,” Kara said, glancing at her screen. Carter snapped to attention at the mention of his mother, watching her intently as she answered the phone. “Ms. Grant?”

“How’s Carter?” Cat asked, forgoing a greeting. Kara noted that she didn’t sound panicked as she had earlier, merely curious.

“He’s good, we’re just finishing up a little ice cream,” Kara said, smiling at Carter to let him know that things were okay. Carter started mouthing the word ‘no’ over and over again, shaking his head and waving his arms at her to stop. “What?” She asked him, only for Carter to let his head fall to the table.

“Ice cream, huh? Hmm…” Cat hummed disapprovingly and Kara could almost picture the way Cat would narrow her eyes and purse her lips when she’d make that sound.

“How’s everything there?” Kara asked, hoping to change the subject from what was obviously a sore subject.

Cat sighed heavily. “I’m just about done here, actually.” Kara didn’t miss that she didn’t actually answer her. “Can you two meet me at the apartment?”

“Uh, of course,” Kara replied, hanging up the phone when Cat disconnected. “Your mom wants me to take you home.”

“And my mom?” Carter prompted.

“She’s gonna meet us there,” Kara said, stowing her phone in her pocket. “So finish your ice cream, because I’m guessing it will be the last time you have any for a long time.”

Carter had the courtesy to look guilty. “You asked if I wanted ice cream, not if I was allowed to have any.”

“Uh huh,” Kara said disbelievingly, getting up from the table and grabbing her purse. “Come on, before you get me into any more trouble.”

Carter rolled his eyes, reminding Kara of his mom, but did as he was asked, tossing his nearly empty ice cream in the trash and following her to the door. The walk from the ice cream place to the swanky apartment complex Cat lived in was a quick one, the Grants residing only a few blocks away from CatCo. In less than twenty minutes, Carter and Kara were stepping off the sidewalk and into one of the most expensive apartment buildings in National City.

After being stopped by the building’s doorman and producing two forms of ID, Kara led Carter to the elevator and pressed the button for Cat's level. Kara didn’t blame them for tightening security after the scare they’d had but she could tell that Carter was slightly concerned with the palpable change in the atmosphere of his home.

“What happened to the door?” Carter asked when they reached the apartment, examining the crooked way the door sat in the frame.

Kara lowered her glasses discreetly and x-rayed the apartment. Nothing seemed to be out of place from what she could see and she even spotted Cat moving around in the den. “The door was broken earlier,” Kara said, trying to tell Carter the truth without scaring him. “Your mom knows about it already. Now, come on, I bet she’s home already.” She grasped the handle, knowing that the lock was broken, and carefully forced it open.

Carter headed inside, taking off his backpack and leaving it by the entrance. “Mom, we’re home!”

“Oh, good, right on time!” Cat came into the foyer, slightly out of breath. She pulled Carter into a hug immediately, not bothering to let go when she addressed Kara. “Thank you, Kiera.”

“Anytime, Ms. Grant,” Kara replied easily, nodding her head slightly.

“Mom, what happened to the door?” Carter asked, pulling out of his mother’s arms and looking up at her expectantly.

Figuring that Cat would want to handle that conversation privately, Kara pointed to the door. “Did you need anything else, Ms. Grant?”

Cat’s eyes flickered between Kara and Carter, obviously mulling something over. “Actually,” She started. “There is. Just let me talk to Carter for a moment.”

“Okay,” Kara said, forgoing her attempts at leaving and standing with her hands clasped in front of her.

“Come on, honey,” Cat told Carter. “Let's go talk in your room for a second.”

“Bye, Kara!” Carter said, giving her a quick hug before scooping up his backpack and retreating down the hall with his mother.

“Bye, buddy!” Kara called after them, feeling awkward at being left alone in the foyer of Cat's apartment.

It wasn't that Kara was unused to being in Cat's apartment—she'd visited several times over the course of employment to fetch a change of clothes, a forgotten item, or a necessary file—but it was the first time Kara had entered the Grant home while such a delicate conversation was happening so close to her enhanced hearing. Kara tried to give Cat as much privacy as possible, focusing on her phone and rereading the messages on it.

There was one from Winn letting her know that everyone in the building had been cleared to return to work, one from James telling her the same, a text from earlier from Lucy asking if she was coming into headquarters after her patrol, and one from two days ago from an unknown number that consisted of only an ‘A-OK’ and an emoji of a thumbs up. Kara smiled looking at that message.

Even though she didn't know the sender, that message could have only come from Alex and Hank. It had been a few weeks since her sister and Hank had gone on the run but they still made an effort to try and communicate with her every few days. They always refrained from giving Kara any direct details but, from what she could gather, they were still searching for Alex’s dad while trying to remain under the government’s radar.

On Kara's end, she was working on convincing the higher ups to reverse the detainment order for Alex and Hank. Lucy had been increasingly helpful on that front, helping Supergirl make her case to the right people, even swaying a few people of her own. Kara returned to Lucy's message, replying that she'd check in as soon as she was done, and getting an affirmative along with a promise to bring her A-game when they sparred.

 _Bring it ;)_ Kara sent back, unable to stop the grin spreading on her face.

Her friendship with Lucy had been a surprising plus to having her named the acting director of the DEO in Hank’s absence. Many of the DEO operatives hadn't taken well to her appointment so Lucy often trained with her, all in the name of keeping Supergirl sharp. Slowly, Lucy had confided in Kara her fears that the agency would never really accept her and, in her sister's absence, Kara had begun to lean on Lucy as well.

Kara's ears picked up the sound of Carter's door opening and she put her phone away, waiting for her boss to reappear. Cat came around the hallway not long after, jerking her head for Kara to follow her into the kitchen.

“Is everything alright?” Kara asked, falling into step with Cat immediately.

“The police found another bomb at the beach house,” Cat said, opening her cabinet and pulling out her usual brand of bourbon. “And another one in the mail room at CatCo. Would you like one?” she asked Kara absently, opening another cabinet for a glass.

“Uh, no, thank you, Ms. Grant. I—” Kara broke off, feeling a sense of dread settle in her stomach. Anything could have happened if the police hadn’t gotten there in time. She should have been more aware, she should have been able to detect a bomb less than three floors than where she worked every day.

“Yes, I’m sure you can imagine my trepidation since my plan had been to relocate to the beach house until whoever was doing this was caught,” Cat interrupted her, taking a large drink of her bourbon. “Luckily, the devices were terribly made and did not detonate when planned. However, the police informed me that it makes whoever is doing this more likely to try again.”

“That’s terrible!” Kara exclaimed, anger rising.

“The police assure me that they are giving this situation the utmost priority but that still leaves me in a bind,” Cat sighed, shaking her head, making her curls bounce with the motion. “I can’t relocate us to any hotel without leaving us vulnerable. I mean, honestly, where am I going to find somewhere with even more security than this building? It was nearly the entire reason I chose this complex in the first place!” Cat scoffed, leaning against the kitchen counter and putting one hand on her hip. “Plus, I don’t want to send the message that I’ll run and hide at some amateur attempt on my life or take Carter away from one of the few places he feels comfortable.”

“So, what are you going to do?” Kara asked, considering how horrible it would be to feel unsafe in your own home.

“Well, I was thinking that you could stay the night,” Cat said suddenly, downing the rest of her drink and settling the glass down on the counter.

“What?” Kara asked, completely taken aback.  
“Well, technically, I need you to stay every night until they catch this lunatic,” Cat amended, not even making eye contact with Kara.

“Ms— Ms. Grant, what are you…?” Kara sputtered, color rising to her cheeks as she took several steps backwards. She had no idea what Cat was asking her, why she was asking her to stay. Cat was looking at her with calculating interest and Kara had the sudden urge to fly out the window. “Wha—”

“I figure Carter could come by the office after school, his school has proven to be safe enough, after all,” Cat said, ignoring Kara's stammers. “He'd probably get bored after too long so you’ll have to bring him back here later in the afternoon.” She shrugged. “I suppose the business day is supposed to end at five p.m.”

“Ms. Grant, I don't understand,” Kara lamented, not following Cat's train of thought. “You want me to babysit Carter? But the nanny—”

“Please,” Cat rolled her eyes as if Kara was being purposely obtuse. “Martha is a lovely nanny, but she isn't as capable as you are.” Kara felt pride well up inside her at the praise until Cat added, “I mean, not everyone has alien powers like you do.”

Whatever Kara had been feeling turned to dread. “Uh, Ms. Grant, I don't—”

Cat silenced her with a glare. “Don't play this game with me today, Kiera. I'm in no mood.”

“Ms. Grant,” Kara shook her head. “I thought we, uh, settled this.”

“No,” Cat said firmly, raising her index finger. Kara’s mouth snapped shut as Cat stepped forward menacingly. She continued forward and Kara stepped back instinctively until she hit the kitchen island behind her. “I have graciously looked the other way ever since the Bizarro incident proved that there could be two of you at the same time.” Kara flinched slightly as Cat stalked closer. “I've checked the times you've disappeared against Supergirl's appearances more times than I can count and let's not forget your sudden personality change appearing and disappearing the same time as Supergirl’s.”

“Ms. Grant, I—” Kara started. She had no idea how she was going to get out of this one. She knew she hadn't been as careful with her identity as she should, knew that Cat wasn't stupid. Suddenly, it was all too much and she needed to escape. “I have to go!” Kara exclaimed, fleeing the kitchen as fast as she dared.

“You owe me!” Cat shouted, making Kara freeze in her retreat. “You threw me off a building and I never confronted you about it!” Kara clenched her fists at her side. “All I am asking you to do is to keep my son safe,” Cat said, her voice low and desperate.

Tears stung at the back of Kara's eyes, threatening to spill over. Even when Supergirl had threatened her, Cat hadn't sounded so vulnerable. If Cat truly knew about her, like she claimed she did, then she had showed both Kara and Supergirl more kindness than she deserved. Slowly, Kara turned back to see Cat staring at her, green eyes full of unshed tears of their own.

This wasn't the first time Cat had been threatened—the incident with the Silver Banshee and Livewire immediately came to mind—but it certainly was the first time since Kara became her assistant that a threat had gotten so close to Carter. That knowledge had very obviously rattled Cat and she was playing every card she had to ensure her son’s safety. Cat held her gaze and Kara felt her resolve failing the longer Cat looked at her.

Resigned, Kara dropped her eyes to the floor. “I won't let anything happen to him,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

She half expected Cat to gloat, flaunt her victory, or make a snarky comment. Instead, Cat's eyes slid shut and her shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you.”

Kara swallowed against a lump that had formed in her throat. “Will you two be okay if I leave for a bit?” Cat examined her as if trying to decipher if Kara would bolt. “I'll come back, there's just—” She paused, taking a deep breath. She'd have to tell the DEO about this new development and go home to pack a bag. “I have a few loose ends to tie up.”

Cat nodded. “Not too long, I hope. The door won't be fixed until tomorrow.”

“I won't be long,” Kara promised. “Then I'll come back, uh, dressed for the occasion.”

“Actually,” Cat interjected. “I'd rather you didn't.”

“What?” Kara asked.

“I told Carter the situation was under control,” Cat told her. “That wouldn't really hold up if Supergirl was hanging around the house.”

“You want me to lie?” Kara asked, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Cat gave her a pointed look that clearly meant ‘ _that's rich, coming from you_ ’ and Kara huffed. “I just mean, if I'm not going to be here as _her_ , than what's he going to think?”

“My son,” Cat started pointedly, placing her hands on her hips. “Will be under the impression that you are moving in temporarily while your apartment is undergoing repairs from some minor flooding.”

“And _why_ would he believe that?” Kara asked skeptically. She didn't see how Carter would believe that Cat would invite her _assistant_ to move in with her for something so minor.

“Because I just told him that we've been dating for the last few weeks,” Cat shrugged, her lips curling into a mischievous smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments so far guys :)
> 
> Here's chapter 2!

“I’m sorry,” Kara said, head tilting to one side. “What now?” She must have been temporarily insane because of what she thought she heard Cat say.

“I told him we were dating,” Cat repeated.

“Why? Why would you do that?” Kara asked, her voice raising an octave. She couldn’t see any reason why Cat would tell Carter that.

“I needed a plausible reason why I’d allow you to stay in the house.” Cat waved a hand dismissively.

“But you had to tell him we were dating? You couldn’t just tell him you were being nice?” Kara tried, wracking her brain for any alternative. Cat didn’t bother to answer her, meeting Kara’s eyes with a pointed stare. “You have a point,” Kara sighed. Carter would have been immediately suspicious if his mother simply let Kara stay at their house for such a flimsy reason.

“Plus, this gives us the excuse of why you’ll be stuck to our sides like glue for the next few days. Or weeks, the idiots at the police department don’t strike me as particularly effective.” Cat shrugged  

“And you don’t think this could be a little dangerous?” Kara prompted.

“Please, Kiera! We don’t have to tell anyone at the office about this little arrangement,” Cat explained. “If anyone asks, you’re just helping out while the nanny is on vacation and, after this is all over, we tell Carter we broke up.”

“And when he asks why I’m still at the office?” Kara asked.

“I’ll just explain to him that we’re mature enough not to let a failed relationship get in the way of our professional one,” Cat said, thinking off the top of her head. “It will be fine.”

“Fine, I need to go pack a bag,” Kara said, clenching her hands at her sides. She wanted to leave the apartment and clear her head before Cat could get her to agree to anything else. She stalked to the door, opening it wide. “I’ll be back.”

“Thirty minutes?” Cat asked, the sudden increase in heart rate alerting Kara to the anxiety underneath her detached expression.

Kara leaned her head momentarily against the doorframe. “Sure,” she promised. Cat’s heart rate slowed and Kara exited the apartment, taking care to close the door as securely as possible. She fished her phone out of her pocket, wishing that she was able to talk to her sister, and called Lucy.

“Director Lane,” Lucy answered brusquely, always the consummate professional unless they were in private.

“Lucy, it’s me,” Kara said, hitting the call button for the elevator when she got to the end of the hall.

“Supergirl, are you on your way in?” Lucy asked, adopting a taunting edge to her tone. “Because Vasquez has got money on this next match.”

“Actually, I’m not going to make it,” Kara said, stepping into the elevator. “Something’s come up.”

“Do I need to deploy a team to your location?” Lucy asked immediately.

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Kara shook her head. “It’s just something with Cat.”

“Oh,” Lucy said, lowering her voice. “I can still deploy a team to your location, if you want,” she teased. Kara had heard how pissed Cat was when Lucy quit and on top of that first hand knowledge, Lucy was the one on the receiving end of Kara’s work stories since Alex’s absence.

Kara chuckled. “No, I’ve got this.”

Lucy promised to let her know if something major happened in the city before hanging up, leaving Kara to walk out of Cat’s building and duck behind a dumpster before flying off into the night. She didn’t know why she hadn’t told Lucy about her confrontation and subsequent arrangement with Cat—probably because she wanted to keep it to herself until she had a handle on things. Lucy would only give her a hard time; she was worse than Alex in that regard.

* * *

Cat sat in the living room with her third bourbon of the night, counting the minutes from the time Kara walked out of the apartment. To say the girl had been surprised when she’d heard Cat’s cover story was an understatement. Embarrassment, surprise, and panic would probably be the words Cat would use to describe Kara’s reaction—not that she was surprised.

The story wasn’t exactly ideal; it could have disastrous repercussions for both of their careers, but it was the only thing Cat could come up with that would explain keeping Kara close in this dangerous time. Carter had readily accepted her story, a reaction she’d have to dissect later, and expressed some happiness at the new arrangement.

“Mom?” Carter’s voice drifted down the hallway, pulling Cat from her thoughts.

Rising from the couch, Cat padded down the hall. “Did you need something, sweetheart?” She asked, stopping at his door.

“I'm a little hungry,” Carter admitted, sitting in the middle of his bed with his school books spread out around him.

He had changed into his pajamas since the last time Cat was in his room and he looked fine considering Cat had told him less than a half hour ago that there had been a bomb threat at CatCo. She regretted lying to him, but it was one thing to twist the truth and tell your adolescent son that there had been a threat that was now contained and another thing entirely to tell him they were still in danger.

“From what I've heard, you ate only a couple of hours ago,” Cat said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Carter chuckled. “That was so long ago!”

“Okay, I'll get you a snack,” Cat relented, thinking that it would be easy to whip up a grilled cheese sandwich.

“Then, after, can we play a game?” Carter asked, looking at Cat hopefully. “You know, all together?”

“I don't think that would be the best idea tonight,” Cat said, the smile falling from her face.

“Why not?” Carter whined.

“It's,” Cat started, struggling to keep her statements on the right side of the truth. “It's just been a long day, dear. Let's let Kiera settle in before we read her into the competition.”

“Why do you still call her that?” Carter asked, frowning.

“Easier to hide at the office,” Cat offered, hoping he would drop it. How would she tell her son that she purposely called Kara by the wrong name to keep herself emotionally distant from the girl?

“Yeah, but we're not at the office,” Carter said, his eyebrows knit together in confusion.

Cat pressed her lips together. “You're right,” Cat said, taking a steadying breath. “It's just still new.” Carter nodded at that and Cat used the opportunity to change the subject. “I'll go make you that snack.”

Cat left the room and headed for the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge. The sound of the broken front door creaking open set Cat’s heartbeat racing and she turned to look towards the noise, her anxiety fading when she saw Kara walking through the door. Cat glanced at the clock to see that it had only been twenty-five minutes; her assistant was nothing if not reliable.

“Welcome back,” Cat said airily, pulling cheese and butter from the fridge. She spotted the gym bag at her side and thought it looked rather small. “I take it you brought more than a toothbrush?”

Kara glanced down at the bag. “I don’t need much,” she said with a shrug. “And if I need more I can always go get more. My apartment isn’t really flooded, after all.”

Cat scoffed at the pointed comment. “Fine, go put your bag in my room. I'm going to make Carter a grilled cheese sandwich. Do you want one?”

“Your room?” Kara asked, eyes wide. “Is that really necessary? I mean, the guest room would be just as—”

“We're supposed to be dating,” Cat reminded her, pulling a loaf of bread from the bread box. “How's it going to look if you're staying in the guest room?” Cat undid the twist tie on the wrapper. “So, where did we land on the sandwich? I don't often eat these but I’m feeling a bit peckish after the day I've had. If I make one, would you eat the other half?”

“Is this a joke to you?” Kara snapped, her tone surprisingly hard.

Cat stopped what she was doing, turning to face Kara. She was standing stiffly by the entrance, hands clenched at her sides with her eyes flashing behind her glasses. Here was the anger Cat had seen on only a few of occasions, and it made her pause. “No,” Cat said, sighing. “It's not.”

“Then, why are you acting like this is no big deal?” Kara huffed, dropping her bag to the floor. “You're acting like you didn't nearly die today and then decide to blackmail me—” Cat’s eyes narrowed at the use of the word and Kara snapped her mouth shut.

“Blackmail? Is that how you see it?” Cat asked, the words stinging more than anticipated.

“Poor choice of words,” Kara grumbled, refusing to meet her gaze. “I just meant—”

“No, I get it,” Cat conceded, forcing herself to soften her voice. There was no denying that the girl had a point and, if Cat wanted Kara to stay, she was going to have to bend a little. “Perhaps, the way I asked was bit more callous than I first intended but I'm sure you can understand how, in the chaos of the day, my request may have come out harsher than I intended.”

“Request?” Kara echoed.

“Yes, Kara, request,” Cat said, placing her hands on her hips. She didn't miss the way Kara's anger seemed to dissipate at the sound of her name. Cat estimated an entire minute had passed by before Kara picked up her bag from the floor.

“Fine,” Kara said suddenly, adjusting her glasses as a way to avoid her eyes. “Cat,” she added, before she turned and made her way down the hallway. “And I'm going to need at least two sandwiches of my own!” Kara shouted over her shoulder.

Cat had felt a small thrill in her stomach at hearing Kara say her name, staying frozen until she heard her bedroom door open and close. Maybe it was because Cat had spent the last two years hearing Kara call her ‘Ms. Grant’, but the name had affected her more than she’d thought it would. “Screw it, I'm eating a whole damn sandwich,” she mumbled, pulling out eight slices of bread.

* * *

Kara finished off the last bite of her grilled cheese, humming happily as she chewed. Out of all the crazy things that had happened today—the threats, Cat knowing that she was Supergirl, and the request that Kara become the Grants’ personal bodyguard—Cat Grant making a mean grilled cheese shouldn't have been the most surprising discovery of the night.

“There isn't another one, is there?” Kara asked, glancing over her shoulder at the kitchen island to see if she'd missed any more food.

“You want more?” Cat asked in disbelief.

Kara shrugged, smiling smugly at the fact that she could still surprise Cat Grant. “They were good,” she said simply.

“That was nothing, mom,” Carter laughed, holding his own sandwich with one hand. “She ate a burger, fries, a sticky bun, and a whole pint of ice cream today. Hey, Kara, do you remember the whole pizza you ate when you watched me that one time?”

“Of course!” Kara smiled, impressed that he remembered. “That place we ordered from was good.”

“How is it I've missed that you eat like a crazed wolverine?” Cat asked sarcastically, her reaction only serving to increase Kara and Carter’s laughing. “Alright, that's enough you two,” Cat rolled her eyes. “Carter, you should get to bed. You have school in the morning.”

“Okay, mom,” Carter said, wide smile still in place. “Goodnight, Kara!”

“Goodnight, buddy,” Kara smiled, watching him hug his mother and run off to his room.

Cat stood and gathered up Carter's dirty dishes along with her own. “Here.”

Kara stood, ignoring Cat's outstretched hand for her dish, choosing instead to grab the dishes Cat was holding and walk them over to the kitchen. “Sink or dishwasher?”

Cat sighed. “I'd usually say sink, but I'm too tired. Just stick them in the dishwasher.” Kara did just that, trying not to react when Cat leaned against the counter and watched her set the machine. “You know, you don't have to do that.”

“I know,” she said, stacking the plates inside. “Detergent?”

“Cabinet to your right,” Cat pointed.

Kara found the soap, putting the instructed amount into the dishwasher, closing the lid, and starting the machine. “Alright, ready?”

“You're certainly taking this better than earlier,” Cat stated, eyeing Kara suspiciously.

“I guess I just decided that, if this is what you need to feel safe,” she shrugged again, leaving the kitchen. “Then it's the least I could do.” Kara was feeling better now that she'd eaten, an impressive feat considering that only crullers were proven to improve her mood faster, and she'd had some time to think things through.

Before the red kryptonite, before Siobhan, and before Adam, Kara would have considered her and Cat as something close to friends. During their fight, Kara couldn’t deny that she’d missed Cat’s presence in her life and been hurt deeply by the woman’s ‘strictly professional’ rule. Initially, she'd felt like Cat had sprung this on her but their last conversation had done a lot to diffuse the situation and, if it was able to put things back to the way they had been, she was willing to try.

Cat looked for a moment as if she was going to say something—probably that she wasn't scared—but instead nodded and lead Kara to her bedroom, closing the door after they were both inside. “Did you want to change in here or the bathroom?” Cat asked, already taking off her jewelry and setting it on the vanity in the corner of the room.

“I'll take the bathroom,” Kara said, kneeling beside where she'd left her bag. She grabbed her pajamas and her toothbrush, not bothering to zip up the bag.

“It's right around the corner,” Cat informed her.

Kara slipped into the bathroom she stopped for a moment to marvel at the Jacuzzi tub, a separate standing shower, and a double sink. Closing the door, Kara changed quickly, wishing she had something more sophisticated than her flannel set of pajamas. She picked the sink that looked least used, snuck a bit of toothpaste from the cabinet, and brushed her teeth. She washed her face and dried the sink, hoping that Cat had finished changing before stepping back into the bedroom.

Cat had exchanged her slacks and blouse for a burgundy silk chemise and robe, her feet bare as she wandered around the room. “Are you done in there?” she asked, pointing to the door.

“Mmhm,” Kara nodded. She was unable to stop the blush that crept up her face. She couldn’t drag her eyes away from the where the edge of the robe ended right at the top of Cat's thighs, unused to seeing so much of the woman's skin exposed.

Kara waited until Cat had entered the bathroom and closed the door before letting the breath she’d been holding come out in a rush. Kara had never given much thought to Cat’s sleepwear but there was no doubt that her boss looked good in the robe and slip combo. She grabbed her phone charger and pulled it into the wall besides the bed, plugging in the device and placing it on the bedside table. With that done, Kara sat on the edge of the bed to wait, pulling her legs up until she was sitting crossed-legged on the comforter.

“Are you planning to sleep above the covers?” Cat asked as she reentered the bedroom. Her face had been scrubbed free of her usual make-up, and her hair was pulled into a short ponytail with several tendrils of blonde curls pulling free from the hair tie.

“No, I just didn’t—” Kara broke off, taking a deep breath. How Cat could look so good even now, Kara would never know. “I don’t have to sleep in the bed. I’d be fine on the floor or…” she trailed off looking around the room. There really wasn’t much seating aside from the chair in front of Cat’s vanity.

“Kara, relax,” Cat ordered and Kara felt her stomach somersault a bit at the sound of her name. “I don’t bite,” she said followed by something that sounded suspiciously like ’ _much_ ’.“I’m sure we can both survive sleeping in the same bed for a few nights. You don’t snore do you?”

“No,” Kara assured her, getting up and pulling back the covers. “Do you have a preferred side?”

Cat paused in the act of removing the hair tie from her hair. “Actually,” she said slowly, considering. “I usually just sleep in the middle,” she shrugged. “I haven’t been in the same bed with anyone else longer than it takes to light the cigarette.”

Kara looked at Cat in confusion. “You smoke?”

“It’s just an expression,” Cat said, exasperated. She pulled the covers down on the left side of the bed, waving a hand Kara’s way. “Just stay on that side of the bed and I think we’ll be okay.”

“Alright,” Kara said, sliding under the covers as Cat shut off the light as Kara took off her glasses and placed them on the side table beside her phone.

She tried to hold herself perfectly still as Cat climbed into the bed beside her, so close that Kara could feel the heat radiating from her skin. The bed dipped as Cat got into a comfortable position and Kara tried to get her heart rate under control as she felt Cat’s back press against hers momentarily before Cat scooted a few inches away from her. After a few moments, Cat’s breathing evened out and Kara felt herself relax into the mattress. The comforter was warmer than she’d anticipated, already lulling her into sleep, and Kara let herself groan in contentment.

“What?” Cat asked, her voice sharp in the darkness.

“This is the softest bed I’ve ever been in,” Kara exclaimed, her words muffled by the pillow she was pressing her face into.

“Go to sleep, Supergirl.” Cat ordered, the sheets rustling as Cat pulled the covers further up her body.

Kara chuckled. “Goodnight, Cat.” She heard Cat scoff at the familiar use of her name but didn’t bother to correct her. Kara smiled against the pillow and closed her eyes–this might not be so bad after all.


	3. Chapter 3

Cat had never been a snuggler. It probably had something to do with the fact that she hated feeling like she was being smothered. The only exception to this was Carter, who usually slept in her bed after he'd had a nightmare, but those had been fewer and farther between since he'd begun turning into a teenager. So when she woke up the next morning with her arms wrapped around Kara’s chest, her front pressed against Kara’s back, Cat was understandably confused. Kara was still fast asleep, head laying on one of Cat’s arms, legs curled inward so that she was almost in the fetal position. It seemed that Cat had unconsciously wrapped herself around the girl sometime during the night, more than halfway onto Kara’s side of the bed than her own.

Cat quickly disentangled herself, ignoring the little whine Kara let out as Cat pulled her arm from under her head, and letting out a relieved breath when Kara remained asleep. Glancing at her alarm clock, she saw that it was a quarter after five in the morning; she had about fifteen minutes before her alarm would go off. Cat decided to get up now rather than try and sneak a few extra minutes of sleep.

Rolling back to her side of the bed, Cat resisted the urge to shiver when her skin came in contact with her cold, unused sheets, and rose from the mattress. She took a moment to stretch, the familiar popping of her joints filling her ears before she felt limber enough to head to the bathroom, stopping by the linen closet to grab a towel on her way. Cat started the water in the shower, undressed while the water warmed up, and considered her usual morning routine as she stepped into the shower.

On a normal day, she would shower and change before taking Carter to school—her time with her son being a precious commodity. Then she would head straight for work and her waiting latte. Having Kara in the apartment might throw a wrench in their carefully crafted routine as Cat had no idea how her superhero got ready in the mornings. Did Kara fly to work before getting her latte in the mornings? Stop a robbery or two on the way? Eat a three course breakfast? That last one was highly probable after hearing how much Kara had eaten the previous day. She’d probably have to double the amount of groceries she and Carter consumed just to keep up.

“Maybe I didn’t think this through,” she mumbled as she got out of the shower.

Cat toweled herself off and wrapped a fluffy robe around her shoulders, completing the look by wrapping another towel around her head. She threw the door to the bathroom open wide, letting the steam that had built up from her shower escape, hoping that it would air out before she returned to style her hair. Cat turned the corner to see Kara, still in bed, holding a pillow over her head as the alarm clock screeched annoyingly. One look at the device told Cat that it had been sounding for at least ten minutes.

“You can’t possibly be sleeping through that,” Cat commented, sitting on the edge of the bed and removing the towel from her hair.

“I’m trying to,” Kara said, her voice muffled against the fabric. “Why is your alarm set so early?”

“Perfection doesn’t happen by itself, dear,” Cat said, running a hand through her damp curls. “Don’t tell me you sleep until the last minute and speed your way through getting ready. Because that would be a gross misuse of superpowers.” She pulled the pillow from Kara’s head, tossing it to the floor. “Now, come on. We have to leave here by six forty-five to make sure Carter is on time.”

“Why can’t I just fly him there?” Kara complained, pulling Cat’s pillow over her head. “It’ll be faster.”

“No Supergirl intervention,” Cat reminded her, taking the second pillow and adding it to the first. Kara groaned and rolled onto her back, looking up at Cat with an annoyed expression that Cat couldn’t categorize as anything other than adorable. “Be ready to go in the next thirty minutes.”

Leaving her grumbling assistant, Cat ducked into her closet and selected her outfit for the day, retreating to the bathroom to change. It was awkward changing in the bathroom when the room was still semi-humid and Cat silently cursed how hard it was to slip into the form fitting skirt and blouse. Cat decided that next time she was just going to dress in the bedroom, like normal, and if Kara didn’t like it, then she could be the one to flee the room.

With her clothes finally in place, Cat blow dryed and styled her hair, taking her time to examine herself in the mirror before deciding that her hair was up to her usual standards. Striding back into the bedroom, Cat was glad to see that Kara was nowhere to be seen, a sign that she'd listened when Cat told her to get up, and sat herself down at her vanity. She spent a few minutes moisturizing and applying her make-up before grabbing a coat and heading for the kitchen.

Scanning the room, Cat noticed that her son wasn't there. He was probably still in his room, but Kara was eating a bowl of cereal at the table with her attention focused to the screen of her phone. Kara was dressed now, wearing a blue button-up shirt and a pleated skirt with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Kara didn't notice her approach, too busy mechanically scooping spoonful after spoonful of colorful cereal into her mouth.

“That’s Carter’s weekend cereal,” Cat stated, lying her jacket over the back of an empty chair. They stuck to healthy breakfast foods during the week, reserving their weekends together to indulge in the sugary cereals.

“Carter said I could eat it,” Kara replied, pausing with her spoon in the air and frowning at her bowl.

“Really?” Cat asked, her eyebrows rising. “That’s surprising, he usually doesn’t share.” That was an understatement—Cat was effectively banned from eating his stash, forcing her to buy her own cereal for ‘cheat mornings’. Sometimes it was even hard to persuade him to save his cereal for another day so that she could cook him a fuller breakfast.

Kara chuckled. “He did say that I had to buy him a new box if I finished it.”

“That’s more like it,” she mumbled, rolling her eyes. “So he already ate?” Cat asked, crossing to the fridge and pulling out a chilled bottle of water.

“Yeah. He said he just needed to brush his teeth and he’d be ready,” Kara nodded, returning to her food.

“Good, we’re running a bit late,” Cat grumbled, glancing at the clock as she twisted the plastic top off the bottle and took a sip. She had estimated that the disruption in their routine would put them slightly behind schedule and she was eager to make up the time.

“Sorry,” Kara mumbled, not looking at Cat as she stood from the table and carried her bowl to the sink.

“I’m not blaming you,” Cat said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at Kara’s unnecessary apologizing. “I assumed we’d spend a little more time than usual this morning, what with everything that’d happened.”

“Oh, well, I’ll just go finish up.” Kara said, leaving Cat in the kitchen. Cat considered calling after her and assuring her that she didn’t need to hurry but thought better of it when Carter came into the room.

“Morning, Mom,” he said cheerfully, carrying his backpack over one shoulder.

“Good morning, dear,” Cat answered, giving him a kiss on the cheek as he leaned in for a one armed hug. “Did you sleep well?”

“Mmhm,” he nodded, pulling away and smirking. “Did you?” There was a slight tremble to his voice as he asked his question, obviously testing the new boundaries of this new arrangement.

Cat took a deep breath, determining that she was decidedly less exhausted than she expected to be after such a horrible incident. Cat’s mind flashed briefly to waking up with Kara in her arms and pushed the thought away. “I did, actually. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah,” he said, showing her his backpack. “Where’s Kara?”

“Here! I’m right here!” Kara said, rushing into the room, clutching her phone in one hand and a purse in the other. “Morning, Carter.”

“Morning!” Carter answered, smiling up at Kara.

“Yes, yes, everyone said their good mornings?” Cater and Kara nodded. “Great, let's go, we’re late,” Cat ordered, strolling to the door and gripping the handle. She grunted with the effort it took to pull the door open wide, letting Carter pass by her.

“I got it,” Kara offered, placing a hand on the door and letting Cat exit the apartment before closing the door as securely as she could.

“When’s the door getting fixed, Mom?” Carter asked, putting on his backpack properly and examining the door with his head tilted back.

“It will be fixed before you get home today,” Cat promised, waiting for Kara to finish before heading down the hall.

Carter ran to the end and pressed the call button on the elevator, waiting patiently for the two women to catch up. “Kara, do you want to know what I’m doing for the science fair this year?” Carter asked as they continued to wait, playing with the straps on his backpack.

“Sure,” Kara smiled, giving Carter her full attention as he began explaining why he chose a project about collecting and purifying water.

The elevator arrived and Cat stepped in first, standing resolutely in the middle of the elevator while Carter and Kara shuffled inside around her. Carter moved to press the button to the garage like he usually did whenever it was just the two of them, but Kara beat him to it, moving automatically to press the button and fall into place at Cat’s right side like she usually did whenever they were travelling outside of CatCo. Carter kept up a running commentary of his school activities with Kara as the elevator lowered them into the garage and Cat was impressed by the care and attention that Kara was giving to Carter. Cat shouldn’t have been surprised; Kara had proven on more than one occasion that she truly cared for Carter.

Their conversation didn’t stop until they reached the garage, when Kara lightly tapped Cat on the shoulder. “Which car…?” Kara trailed off, glancing around the garage.

“I usually take the BMW,” Cat nodded towards the black sedan parked in one of her designated spaces, pulling the keys from her purse. Kara slid her glasses down the bridge of her nose, tilting her head down and squinting. Realizing that Kara was about to start using one of her powers, Cat decided to distract Carter. “Carter, honey, do you have any requests for dinner?”

“It’s a little early to be thinking about dinner, Mom,” he said, looking at her oddly.

Cat kept her face passive as Kara replaced her glasses and smiled reassuringly, moving closer to the car. “I was just wondering if you had any preference,” Cat said, shrugging her shoulders. “Think about it. If anything comes to you during the day you can text me.”

“Okay,” Carter said, getting into the backseat.

“I guess I've got shotgun,” Kara said, heading for the door.

“Hold on!” Cat hissed, pulling on Kara’s sleeve to still her. “What was it you just did?”

“Er, what?” Kara asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

“You know, with your eyes?” Cat said, miming the eye squinting Kara had done earlier.

“I was just checking the car for anything dangerous,” Kara said quietly, leaning in close so Carter wouldn't hear her. “You know…X-ray vision?” Cat gaped. “I thought you said you knew?”

“I meant in general, not all the specifics!” Cat snapped, taken off guard by the admission. Flying, super strength, heat vision, freeze breath—was there any power this girl didn't have? “What else can you do?”

“Hey, are we leaving?” Carter asked, opening the door and sticking his head out and eyeing them warily.

“Yeah, buddy, we’re leaving right now.” Kara smiled, which seemed to reassure him, and he closed himself back inside the car. “Maybe we should do this later?”

Cat scowled. “Fine, but I want the complete list.” She told her, wagging a finger at her.

“We’ll see,” Kara answered evasively, getting into the passenger side of the car.

Cat smirked at Kara's dismissal of her request. If Kara wanted to keep some of her secrets that was fine—for now. Cat crossed to her door and slid inside, finding it amusing that Carter was already chatting Kara's ear off. “... and we’ve been listening to Hamilton on the way to school together. We’re in the second act again!”

“I've been meaning to listen to that,” Kara said, twisting in her seat so that Carter knew she was giving him her attention.

Carter’s mouth fell open. “You haven't heard it?” Carter shot Cat a disbelieving look. “Mom, we have to set it back!”

“Of course,” Cat chuckled. “Although, I have to admit that I'm surprised you haven't heard it yet.”

“I've been a little busy lately,” Kara shrugged, locking eyes with Cat.

“Ah,” Cat said, starting the car and backing them out of the parking spot.

“Alright, Kara, I’m gonna put it on through the Bluetooth!” He exclaimed, pulling his phone from his pocket.

The first beats of the opening number suddenly came through the speakers, startling Kara and making Cat smile smugly. “Calm down, it's just the first number,” Cat said as Leslie Odom Jr. began to sing.

“Mom!” Carter said warningly, glaring at her. “No talking!”

“Whoops, sorry,” Cat apologized, pretending to look chastised for effect.

Carter sighed exasperatedly. “Okay, I'm restarting it. You ready, Kara?”

“Yes, sir,” Kara said with mock seriousness, sitting properly in her seat and sharing a conspiratorial smile with Cat.

“Okay, here we go,” Carter said, pressing on his phone and setting the song back.

The music came on but Cat stayed quiet this time, focusing on driving. Kara sank further into her seat, making herself comfortable, her fingers tapping along to the beat against the armrest on the door. They made it halfway through _The Story of Tonight_ before pulling into Carter’s school, the parent drop off nearly empty.

“Okay, I hate to break up this performance but we're here,” Cat said, pulling up to the curb and putting the car in park.

“Aw, already?” Carter whined, looking out of the window as if to check if Cat was wrong.

Kara chuckled at that. “Sorry, buddy.”

“Did you at least like it so far?” He asked, stopping the musical and slipping his phone into his pocket.

“I loved it!” Kara replied, excitement creeping into her voice.

Carter nodded. “Good. But you can't listen to anymore without me.” He looked at Kara sternly, opening the car door and grabbing his backpack.

“What?!” Kara gasped. “But you've got me hooked, I can't wait!” He looked unmoved.

“Don't worry, Carter,” Cat said, turning the radio to her usual radio station. “I'll make sure she doesn't listen without you.”

Kara guffawed and Carter looked pleased. “Okay, good. Bye Mom, bye Kara!” He shut the door.

“Goodbye, sweetheart,” Cat called after him, waving.

“Bye, Carter!” Kara added, watching him run up the stairs to the entrance.

Cat pulled away from the curb, picking up speed as she merged back onto the street towards the freeway. They were still about fifteen minutes away from CatCo when the cars in front of them started to slow. “Oh, crap.”

“Uh, Ms. Grant, you can let me out here,” Kara said, pointing to a turnout that was coming up.

“What?” Cat asked, pulling the car to the side despite her confusion. They were on a bypass and there was nowhere for her to go that Cat could see.

“Well,” Kara starts, unbuckling her seatbelt. “We shouldn't arrive together, right?”

“Yes, but I think kicking you out of the car miles away from CatCo is going a little too far!” Cat protested, looking out her window to see that the other cars were starting to pick up speed again. “Now, buckle back up, the traffic’s clearing.”

Kara looked at her oddly. “I'll be there before you will,” she said, a small laugh in her voice.

Cat opened her mouth to demand that Kara explain when she realized. _Oh, flying_. “Right, of course.”

Kara stepped out of the car and leaned in before closing the door. “Don't worry, I'll make sure your latte is waiting.” The car door closed and Cat couldn't help but gasp when she saw Kara sit on the concrete wall of the overpass and look both ways to make sure that no one else was watching before falling backwards.

A red and blue streak shot upwards into the sky and Cat tracked Supergirl until she disappeared behind one of National City's skyscrapers. It was jarring—seeing her assistant performing such a feat—because knowing that Kara was Supergirl was different than seeing it first hand. “Damn superheroes,” Cat mumbled, pulling back onto the road.

Cat merged back into traffic, wondering if any one of the speeding cars had noticed the display of power. When traffic continued on like normal, Cat had to accept that the drivers of National City were extremely unobservant and turned the dial on the center console to turn up the radio volume. The rest of her drive was uneventful and Cat made it to CatCo in no time, parking and making her way to her personal elevator.

Cat spent the elevator ride up to her office wondering if Kara really would be waiting for her on the other side of those metal doors with a latte and a bright smile like it was any other morning—like they hadn't woken up in the same bed together. Cat took a steadying breath as the doors opened, keeping her expression neutral when Kara was, indeed, waiting for her.

“Good morning, Ms. Grant,” Kara said, a sly smile on her face. She handed Cat the familiar Noonan’s cup. “Your latte.”

Cat took the cup, her fingers brushing delicately over Kara's. “Thank you, Kiera.” Kara seemed to jump at the unexpected contact and Cat found that she enjoyed the reaction. “Content meeting, five minutes.”

“Er, right,” Kara mumbled, straightening her glasses.

Cat allowed herself a moment to watch as Kara left to round up her department heads before entering her office and taking her spot at her desk. She took a sip of her coffee—it was heated perfectly—and logged into her computer.

Kara was just as attentive and efficient as usual and Cat found it easy to fall into her normal rhythm despite the amount of work they had to catch up on from the previous day’s upset. She made it through the meeting without yelling, moved on quickly to balancing the Tribune’s budget, cheered herself by firing someone in the editorial department, and finished off her morning by purchasing a blossoming independent radio station.

When eleven o’clock rolled around, Cat was waiting for Kara to bring her some document or other that needed signing when there was a breaking news alert. “Breaking news from a local pawn shop where a humanoid figure, we assume is an alien, has stolen a number of goods and is in the process of resisting law enforcement!”

“Friend of yours?” Cat teased, noticing Kara’s frown.

“No,” Kara muttered, setting down the documents Cat had asked for. “I have to go, though.” She looked solemn.

“I figured,” Cat said, attempting to come off as disinterested. “Try not to be too long.”

“Thanks,” Kara sighed in relief, heading for the door. “I’ll be back!”

“And, Kiera!” Cat called after her, making Kara pause by her desk. “After you’re done with that errand, make sure and bring back lunch!”

Kara smiled softly and nodded before rushing off, disappearing from view down the hall. Cat returned to her desk, keeping an eye on her monitors as just a moment later Supergirl arrived at the scene. The newscaster lauded Supergirl’s arrival and Cat watched as the hero easily took down the alien. With the situation so obviously in hand, Cat turned away from the monitors, a smile growing on her face with the knowledge that Kara’s identity was no longer an obstacle between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this in between my flights. Hope you all enjoyed it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody! Back again with another chapter for you. Enjoy.

“So, let me get this straight,” Lucy said, throwing a jab towards Kara’s midsection. “You’ve been M.I.A. for the last few days because you’ve been dating Cat Grant?”

Kara dodged the blow easily and retaliated with one of her own. “No! We haven’t dated at all! It’s just an elaborate ruse,” Kara paused to block Lucy’s kick. “To cover up for the fact that Cat wants super me around until this threat is over because she doesn’t want to tell Carter.”

“But you pretty much live at her penthouse, you're cooking meals, picking up her kid, sleeping together?” Lucy asked, going under Kara’s left hook.

“No!” Kara huffed, shaking her head and planting her feet. It was true that in the three days Kara had stayed at Cat's, she hadn’t gone back to her apartment longer than it took to get more clothes. She helped with meals, picked up Carter from school and slept each night in Cat’s bed—woken up in her arms, too. “Well, I mean, yes, I am staying in the penthouse and I’m helping with Carter, but—” Lucy took advantage of Kara’s split focus to land a one-two punch and knock her to the ground.

“Alright!” Lucy cheered, pumping her fist in the air.

“Ugh,” Kara complained, landing heavily on the platform. Lucy chuckled above her before offering a hand to help her up. “No fair, I was distracted.”

“Those are the breaks, Supergirl,” Lucy teased, leaving the sparring ring to turn off the kryptonite emitters. “Now, let’s go tell Vasquez, she owes me a twenty.”

“Fine,” Kara grumbled as the greenish glow to the room vanished. Kara took a deep breath as the full scope of her powers returned. Lucy opened the door of the training room and they walked towards the command center. “Look,” Kara said when they were halfway there. “I’m not saying that it’s not weird, because it totally is. I’m just meant that Cat barely tolerates me, I don’t get why she decided to go with this,” Kara waved her arms in the air as she searched for the word. “ _outlandish_ lie instead of just saying that I’d be staying with them for a few days!” 

“I don’t know about Cat barely tolerating you,” Lucy said, wagging a finger at Kara. “I saw how she acted towards you at CatCo.”

“Right, so you know!” Kara said emphatically, shaking her head.

“Actually, I was going to way that, if anything, Cat may be more attached to you than you think,” Lucy said, shrugging her shoulders. “She may even like you.”

“What?” Kara scoffed, looking at Lucy in disbelief. “No.”

“I’m serious!” Lucy insisted, pausing in the middle of the corridor. “You’re her longest surviving assistant, despite the fact that I’ve heard you’ve been fired, like, twice!”

“Three times.” Kara shook her head. “But those were misunderstandings—”

“She had you watch Carter before she even knew you were Supergirl,” Lucy said, counting off on her fingers.

“Well, look how well that turned out!” Kara exclaimed.

Lucy ignored her. “And when Toyman was terrorizing the city, Cat had been talking about getting an interview with Winn but the rumor around the bullpen was that you shut that down!”

“Well, yeah,” Kara nodded, crossing her arms over her chest.

Lucy cut her off. “She’s spends more time with you than anyone else.”

“Yeah, but—” Kara started to protest.

“Then, she goes and hires a second assistant instead of firing you! _And_ ,” Lucy continued doggedly when she saw that Kara was going to protest again. “She still kept you around even after you threw her off the building!”

“Lucy!” Kara shouted, getting somewhat annoyed by the growing smirk on Lucy’s face. Lucy must have seen the pained look on Kara’s face because she rearranged her features from a smug smile into one of practiced apathy. Kara took a deep breath. “That was just because she was hiding the fact that she knew who I was. If she'd said something earlier, who knows if I’d still have a job?” Kara hung her head.

“But she did keep you,” Lucy shot back. “And now she’s telling her son that you’re dating?” Lucy placed a hand on Kara’s arm. “Face the facts, Kara. Cat Grant likes you.” Unlike last time, Lucy’s voice was soft as if she was trying to get Kara to see reason.

Kara shook her head. “None of this proves anything, Lucy.”

“Maybe,” Lucy conceded. “But I don’t think she’s the only one with... feelings.”

That made Kara’s head snap up. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Oh come on, Kara!” Lucy said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Glossing over the fact that you’ve stuck by her side despite years of being mistreated—”

“It’s my job!” Kara exclaimed then frowned. “And she doesn’t mistreat me. Ms. Grant just demands perfection and, plus, she's been a lot better lately—”

“Then you gave Cat the first interview with Supergirl,” Lucy recounted, moving again down the hallway.

“She was threatening to fire James if I didn’t!” Kara huffed, following.

“Then, you impersonated her in that letter to help Cat reconnect with her son, right?” Lucy asked, looking expectantly up at her until Kara nodded. “And, you’ve agreed to this charade without much as an objection!” She added.

“Hey, I objected,” Kara said, purposely elbowing Lucy gently. Lucy crooked an eyebrow at her in disbelief and Kara felt compelled to explain. “Cat asked for my help and I kind of owe her after throwing her off of her building, so I figured, why not?”

“Not to mention, Supergirl has saved Cat Grant more times than anyone else in National City,” Lucy said, hitting a few numbers on a keypad to open the corridor to the control hub.

“Ms. Grant gets into a lot of trouble!” Kara exclaimed as the doors opened and the two of them stepped through.

“Uh huh, sure,” Lucy teased, heading for the console where Agent Vasquez was seated. “Pay up, Vasquez, Supergirl lost.”

Vasquez swiveled in her chair and gaped at Kara. “You lost? But my money!” Lucy held out her hand as Vasquez fished her wallet out of her pocket.

“Sorry, she got the drop on me,” Kara shrugged, smiling.

Vasquez scowled as she placed a crisp twenty dollar bill in Lucy’s hand. “I guess being a kept woman is making you go soft.”

Lucy threw her head back and laughed while Kara flushed. “You told her?” Kara demanded. “When did you even do that? I barely told you!”

“I monitor the comm’s in the training room,” Vasquez snickered. “In case of emergencies.”

“Relax,” Lucy said, tucking her money away. “No one else has to know, if you don’t want.”

“I don’t,” Kara said exasperatedly, feeling her phone vibrating in its spot in her boot. “Hang on.” Kara leaned over and retrieved the phone. “It’s Cat.”

_Message From: Cat Grant Received at 2:15 p.m.  
If you’re not going to be back in time to pick up Carter, I can move my Round Up meeting to 4._

“Are you in trouble?” Lucy teased, standing on her tiptoes to try and read over Kara’s shoulder.

Kara rolled her eyes. “She just wants to know if I’m going to make it to pick up Carter.” Kara said, tying back a reply.

_Just finished. Do you need me to come back to the office first?_ Kara hit send and she immediately saw the bubble with three dots appear on Cat’s side of the conversation.

_I’ve got the office under control. See you at home._ Cat wrote back.

“At home?” Lucy said, grinning. “Someone’s comfortable.”

“Of course she is!” Kara shot back. “It’s her home!”

“Sure it is,” Lucy said, giving Kara a fake wink and sharing a conspiratorial look with Agent Vasquez, who howled with laughter.

“You two are the worst,” Kara growled, tucking her phone away.

“As hilarious as this situation is,” Vasquez started, wiping an escaped tear. “What are we going to do this weekend if there’s an incident?” Vasquez asked, looking between Kara and Lucy.

“Right,” Lucy said, looking thoughtful. “Usually, you don’t have to worry about a cover story while you’re away from CatCo, but now?”

“It shouldn’t be a problem, Cat already knows,” Kara reminded them, turning towards the exit.

“Yeah, but her kid doesn’t,” Lucy pointed out.

“Oh,” Kara said, stopping in her tracks. She turned back towards Lucy and Vasquez, tugging at the edge of her cape.

“What if you’re busy with Carter and you have to leave?” Lucy asked, putting her hands on her hips. “Do you even know what the Grants do on weekends?”

“It hasn’t really come up,” Kara admitted, absently reaching up to her face and lowering her hand when she realized she wasn't wearing her glasses. “In the meantime, can you keep things under control?”

Lucy nodded. “We’ll try and keep your involvement to a minimum. Enjoy your weekend, Supergirl.”

“Thanks, Luce,” Kara sighed, jogging down the steps. She had enough time that she could probably stop by for a snack on the way to Carter’s school.

* * *

“Hey, mom?” Carter asked, coming up next to where Cat slicing green apples for her apple and walnut salad at the kitchen counter.

“Yes?” Cat answered, glancing sideways at her son.

Carter was leaning against the counter, the top of his head visible as he looked down at his feet. He was wearing a pair of navy blue sweatpants and a t-shirt from his last year at science camp but the shirt was beginning to fit snugly around his shoulders. He was getting tall too, she noticed, his head already level with her shoulder. Soon, her son would be taller than her; Cat didn’t know how she felt about that. She refocused when she saw him shuffling his feet, a telltale sign that he had something on his mind.

“Carter?” Cat prompted, her brow furrowing in mild concern. She was familiar with Carter’s hesitation to engage in uncomfortable conversations but, usually, that was only as a third party witness. Carter was usually very open with her, especially when they were home.

“Can I ask you some questions?” Carter asked finally. He was looking up at Cat with wide eyes, his expression indiscernible. “About Kara?”

“What about Kara?” Cat stopped slicing, slowly lowering the knife she was wielding to the table and glancing down the hall to her room. Last she’d checked, Kara was taking a shower and changing into her pajamas for the movie night Carter had requested.

Carter shrugged. “I was just thinking about how long you two have been dating and I realized that I didn’t actually have any details.”

“Oh!” Cat exclaimed, gathering the apple slices in her hand and adding them to the salad. That made sense; Carter adjusted better when he had all the information in a situation. “What did you want to know?” She asked, wary that she may have to create details about her fake relationship with Kara.

“How long, exactly, have you been dating?” Carter asked, his expression clearing now that he knew she wasn’t upset by his line of questioning.

“Two and a half weeks,” Cat said, deciding that was a safe amount of time. She moved to the fridge to grab the bottle of cranberry vinaigrette dressing to finish their salad.

“Who asked who out?” Carter asked, grabbing a leftover apple slice from the cutting board.

“I asked her,” Cat said, untwisting the cap and drizzling the dressing over the bowl. Carter probably wouldn’t buy that mild mannered Kara Danvers would make the first move. Although, knowing that Kara was Supergirl made the whole thing a tossup in Cat’s mind.

“So you asked her after Siobhan threw Kara out of the window and she was saved by The Flash?” Carter clarified, taking a bite of the apple. “Is it because you thought she was going to die?” He continued, mouth full.

“I—” Cat broke off, mentally counted backwards in her head and confirmed that the date was just after the latest Livewire incident. There was no doubt that the incident had shaken CatCo. Her employees had been sent fleeing from Siobhan’s attempt to take out her assistant; Kara’s friends had screamed her name and ventured as close to the broken window as they dared to see what had happened to her. Even with her suspicions that Kara had been Supergirl, Cat hadn’t been able to relax until Kara had returned to the office an hour later. A scare like that could provide enough reason for someone—not her, but a normal person—to confess romantic feelings. “I suppose you could say that,” Cat hedged.

Carter nodded thoughtfully. “And how many dates have you been on?”

“Three,” Cat invented. That was probably a safe number.

“But it’s serious?” Carter pressed, looking at Cat intently. “Because you wouldn’t let her come around if it wasn’t serious.”

“Carter,” Cat said, turning towards him and bracing her weight against the counter. “What is this about?”

“I was just wondering because two just don’t seem very…couple-y. You hardly ever seem to touch,” he said skeptically, his nose scrunching as he narrowed his eyes at her. “Like, ever.”

Cat knew she’d been caught. She’d been very careful not to touch Kara while she was staying with them; the only exception to this rule was when she would drift over to Kara’s side of the bed while she was asleep. Cat figured she owed it to Kara to keep her distance, that physical contact would be the last line that Cat would cross. Obviously, Carter had noticed.

“Did you ever think that maybe we’re not comfortable doing those types of things yet?” Cat challenged, propping her free hand on her hip.

Carter didn’t look convinced. “I just wanted to make sure that you weren’t holding back because I was here. I mean, I’m practically a teenager.”

“We’re not,” Cat assured him, turning back to the salad. It was pretty much done; all they were waiting for now was the pizza they’d ordered twenty minutes ago.

Carter nodded. “Okay, good.” Anything he was going to add was cut off by the doorbell. “That’s gotta be the pizza!” He exclaimed, running around the counter.

There was beat where Cat was content to let her son open the door before she remembered that they were still being targeted by someone who had set at least three explosives on her properties in the last week. “Carter, wait!” She yelled, dashing around the counter after her son.

Carter froze at her harsh tone. “What’s wrong?” He asked earnestly, searching around for whatever set her off.

“I—” Cat broke off, wracking her mind for an excuse. She normally wouldn’t stop Carter from answering the door and, after the previous slip Cat didn’t want this to feed into his suspicions.

“Mom, what is it?” Carter asked again, more puzzled than anything else now that he’d scanned the area and found nothing wrong.

Cat’s phone vibrated in her pocket, drawing her attention. A quick check of the device told her that it was a text message from Kara. She held up a finger, indicating that he should wait. “Hold on.”

_Message from Kara Danvers Received at 7:43 p.m.  
Coast is clear. It’s the pizza guy._

Cat sighed in relief, tucking the phone away. “Never mind. Can you just take down the plates?” She said, determinedly calm. Carter’s eyes narrowed slightly but he moved back towards the kitchen as requested. “Thank you, dear. I’ll be right back.” She called after him, walking quickly to the door.

The pizza boy was a fresh–faced teenager that Cat recognized from the last time Carter had wanted pizza, and he greeted Cat with a metallic smile despite the extra minutes Cat had made him wait while she stalled Carter. He carefully transferred the three cardboard boxes into her arms, helping her balance the pizza with one hand so that she could sign the bill with a flourish. Cat rewarded him with a hefty tip, closing the door with her foot since her hands were full of the pizzas they’d ordered.

  
She deposited the food on the counter, sliding the boxes into the middle where they wouldn't be in danger of falling. Carter padded into the kitchen from the living room, making a beeline for the pizza. He opened up the first box and, not finding what he wanted, slid the middle box out from the pile and set it on top.

“I thought we were waiting for the movie,” Cat said, watching as he removed a slice of pineapple and ham pizza.

“We are.” Carter took a bite, chewing and swallowing before adding, “I just wanted to get a slice of this before Kara demolished it.” He looked her over. “Aren’t you going to change? Can’t have a pajama party without pajamas.”

“I'm going right now,” Cat assured him. “Put everything onto the coffee table in the living room. I’ll be right back.”

He waved at her with his slice of pizza, turning his back on her as she went into her room. Cat closed the door behind her, crossing to her dresser and pulling out the comfortable clothes she usually donned for movie nights. She shimmied out of her skirt, stepping into a pair of CatCo sweatpants.

“Everything okay?” Kara asked, coming out of the bathroom in process of pulling her damp hair into a bun.

Cat paused with her fingers on the hem of her blouse, head turning immediately towards the sound of Kara’s voice. Kara was wearing the pajama bottoms Cat had seen her wear the past three nights, the cheap flannel hanging low on her hips. Cat noticed that rather than the shapeless button-up top Kara had worn to bed, she was wearing a thin, blue, tank top that left her arms and shoulders bare.

It wasn't the most revealing thing Cat had seen Kara wear—Kara had recently become more comfortable around the office and begun wearing a few sleeveless dresses—but it was the first time that Cat had seen her wear anything of the sort while they were at home. She wondered if that meant that Kara was becoming comfortable in the apartment. Cat’s eyes lingered on the slight swell of Kara's biceps, watching as Kara's muscles shifted beneath her skin while she secured a tie in her hair.

Cat swallowed reflexively as Kara lowered her arms to her sides, the other girl smiling softly. “What?” She asked curiously, eyebrows furrowing the longer Cat stood in silence.

“Nothing,” Cat said, shaking her head. She went ahead and pulled her blouse off, grabbing her t-shirt from where she'd left it on the bed and sliding it over her head. The fabric was worn and faded, the university logo hardly visible, but it was her comfiest shirt. “Thank you, by the way.” Cat tugged at the hem of the shirt. “For earlier.”

“It’s why I’m here, right?” Kara sat on the edge of the bed.

Cat hummed in a noncommittal manner, gathering her clothes from the floor. “Out of curiosity, how much did you hear?”

“Oh!” Kara sat up straight and toyed with her glasses. “Nothing, really—I was pretty much tuned out until I heard the doorbell ring.”

Cat nodded, dumping the pile of clothes into the laundry. “Yes, well, thank you.”

“Uh, Cat?” Kara said, suddenly. Cat could detect a slight edge to Kara’s voice, indicating that she was nervous.

“Hm?” Cat hummed, walking over to her vanity to remove her earrings and bracelet.

“The people I work with were wondering what the plan was for the weekend?” Kara fiddled with her glasses as she babbled. “And, I mean, I kind of was, too, but obviously I only need to know in case of an emergency—”

“What?” Cat asked, lost. Her first thought was of CatCo, because honestly, what kind of emergency would crop up that she wouldn’t know about?

Kara took a deep breath. “I was wondering what the plan was for the weekend. You know, in case there’s an emergency and I have to leave suddenly.”

“Oh, right.” Cat said, nodding. Of course Kara would be referring to a ‘super’ emergency. Obviously, she’d been referring to whatever government organization had been responsible for mopping up after her during the red kryptonite mess. “Well, we usually play our weekends together by ear.” Movies, a day at the beach house, a visit to the museum—it usually depended on how much homework Carter had or the amount of chaos happening around the city. Cat was suddenly left wondering what Kara did on her time off. “What do you usually do on the weekends?”

“It depends. Hanging out with my sister, usually.” Kara grew quiet for a moment. “Although, not so much lately.” There was twinge of sadness that Cat picked up, and a far off look in her eye that tempted Cat to question what she meant until Kara smiled feebly and changed the subject. “Did Carter pick a movie?”

“Not yet,” Cat said carefully. Kara’s free time was obviously something of a sore subject and Cat felt an inexplicable desire to pull Kara out whatever funk she was falling into. “Maybe you should go help him pick.”

Kara made no move to get up, or gave any indication that she heard her. Cat circled back towards the bed, pausing in front of Kara. Kara didn’t look up at Cat, choosing instead to look at the floor, a lock of damp hair falling into her face. It would have been so easy for her to reach forward and brush the fallen strand of hair behind Kara’s ear; to offer Kara a small bit of physical comfort.

Cat dismissed the thought when Kara took a deep breath and smiled up at her, whatever sadness that had been lurking behind her eyes finally receding. “Yeah, that could be fun.”

“Oh, before you go, Carter mentioned something when the pizza got here,” Cat started, tucking her hands into the pockets of her sweatpants.

“What is it?” Kara’s brow furrowed and her head tilted to one side as she waited for Cat to continue.

Cat hesitated. She didn’t want to tell Kara about Carter’s suspicions just yet. It would just cause the girl to overthink their interactions and, as Kara was already such a crap actor, Cat didn’t want to give her any more reasons to act unnaturally. Besides, she reasoned with herself, she’d already cleared the air with Carter; they had no reason to worry.

“Carter just said that he wanted to eat most of the Hawaiian pizza before you got there,” she said finally, enjoying the way Kara’s mouth fell open in mock offense.

“What? Carter!” Kara leaped off the bed and fled the room.

Cat heard Carter yelp in surprise followed by thundering footsteps that were, presumably, caused by the super-powered and ravenous alien that was chasing down her child for food. “We have neighbors!” Cat yelled, stalking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

“Sorry, mom!”

“Sorry, Cat!”

Cat rounded the corner into the living room to see Kara standing in the middle of the living room, holding a half-eaten slice of pizza. Carter, on the other hand, was standing on the sofa, trying to hold one of the pizza boxes out of Kara’s reach. Cat’s mouth fought the stern expression she was wearing, threatening to turn into a smile. It wasn’t often she got to see Carter acting so carefree, despite the damage he was doing to the couch cushions, and the fact that Kara could have easily flown up to retrieve the pizza only added to the hilarity.

“If you two are done acting like children,” Cat said pointedly, hands on her hips. Cat watched as Carter got the message and jumped down from the couch, setting the cardboard box down on the coffee table. Cat was about to ask about the movie when she spotted Kara sticking out her tongue at Carter. “I saw that,” Cat said, whirling around on Kara.

“Sorry.” Kara had the decency to look abashed, sinking into a nearby armchair.

“So, are we going to be watching this movie anytime soon?” Cat asked, sitting on her usual spot on the far right of the couch. She leaned forward and grabbed a plate from the coffee table in front of her, serving herself a portion of salad and grabbing a slice of vegetable pizza from the middle box.

“Yeah, I got the movie all queued up,” Carter said, grabbing his own plate. He started with the pizza, picking a cheese slice from the bottom box.

“What are we watching?” Kara asked, waiting for Carter to move before filling her own plate. She piled it high with the salad, covering the greens with the three leftover Hawaiian slices and pulling one from the cheese pizza box.

“Uh, we’re watchin—” Carter broke off in the middle of adding salad to his plate when he saw Kara move to sit in the solitary armchair. “No!”

“What?” Kara exclaimed, already curled up on the chair. She looked between the three of them, eyes wide, muscles tensed as if she was waiting to spring into action. Without a clear reason why Carter would stop her, Kara looked to Cat for insight but, as Cat had no idea what was running through her son’s mind, she simply shrugged.

“We have to sit on the couch, that way we’ll get the best view,” Carter explained, taking a seat next to Cat. He left the left end of the couch open for Kara, staring at her expectantly until Kara stood from the armchair.

“Carter,” Cat chided. He couldn’t just order Kara around—only she was allowed to do that.

“I don’t mind,” Kara said, folding herself back down onto the sofa. She did look comfortable, legs tucked beneath her, leaning against the arm of the couch, her plate resting on top.

“Alright,” Cat relented, setting back against the cushions. “So what movie are we watching?”

“The Proposal. Have you seen it?” Carter asked, directing his question at Kara.

“Uh, no, I haven’t.” Kara shook her head, moving her fork around her plate. She took a large bite of the salad and hummed happily, stabbing more of the lettuce for another bite.

“Really, Carter?” Cat complained, looking at her son incredulously.

“What? Deadpool’s in it!” Carter offered in his defense, grabbing the remote.

Cat rolled her eyes. “You haven’t even seen Deadpool!” Like she’d let him watch an R-rated movie like that.

“But I’ve seen the trailers and I want to see if he’s just as funny in something else.” Carter shrugged, navigating the menu to their television company’s video on demand section.

“Well, I have seen this movie,” Cat grumbled, grabbing a napkin from the coffee table and dabbing at the side of her mouth. “It’s a substandard rom-com that I got pressured into watching because Sandy Bullock begged our spin class to be attendees for her premiere seven years ago!” She crumpled the paper napkin in her hand in annoyance.

Kara snickered but Carter sighed and looked at Cat in exasperation, his head resting on the edge of the couch. “Come on, mom! I’ve already bought it from the on-demand menu.”

Cat rolled her eyes. She did always tell Carter that she hated to waste money like that. “Fine!”

Carter whooped triumphantly, hitting play. The logo of the third-rate production company flashed on the screen and bubbly pop music began to play. Sandra Bullock appeared on screen, exercising on a stationary bike, and Cat couldn’t contain the sardonic laugh she felt bubbling up at the sight of one of her fitness partners—at least her form had improved in the last few years. Kara and Carter watched quietly but Cat hardly paid attention as the movie introduced the transparent characters and the ridiculous plot started taking shape—no one put that much thought into the legality of this story, obviously.

When Sandra’s character arrived at work, sending the employees into a panic, Carter leaned towards Kara and used one hand to try to block his words. “Is that supposed to be CatCo?” he whispered curiously as Ryan Reynolds typed out a message to alert the other employees of their boss’ movements.

“As if,” Cat scoffed. Just because Sandy _may_ have visited CatCo before this movie came out did not mean that the character of Margaret Tate was based off of her. It was an off-base caricature, at best; at least, that’s what the cancelled lawsuit in her drawer at work said.

Kara snickered on their side of the couch but, thankfully, did not comment. The movie continued and the characters relocated to Alaska, continuing their transparent charade. Sometime around the scene where Sandra Bullock was getting a mediocre lap dance, Carter stood from the couch and went to the kitchen to refill his soda.

He moved to sit back in the middle of the couch and paused. “Actually, Kara can you switch places with me? I want to sit on the end so that I can use the end table as a coaster.” Carter gestured with his drink.

“Uh, sure.” Kara uncurled her legs from the seat and slid over, giving Cat plenty of space as she sat in the middle.

“Cool.” Carter settled himself on the edge of the sofa, gingerly placing his soda next to him.

Kara moved closer, her leg brushing against Cat’s. “Sorry,” Kara mumbled, shifting away from her.

Cat was about to say that it was okay until she spotted Carter watching them out of the corner of his eye and it clicked—the movie, swapping spaces with Kara—Carter was calling her bluff. Carter noticed her watching him and conspicuously snapped his attention back to the movie. Cat didn’t know whether to be proud that he was so perceptive or annoyed that he was trying to manipulate them.

Taking a deep breath, Cat uncrossed her arms from her chest and draped an arm casually across the back of the couch. Cat shifted until her leg until she was flush with Kara’s, resting her elbow on the arm of the chair and leaning her head onto her palm. The shift in position would have looked natural had it not been for Kara stiffening visibly as she felt Cat moving. Kara kept throwing her questioning glances as the movie continued, and Cat had to fight down the urge to snap at her to relax. Luckily, they had a chance to talk when Carter paused the movie and fled to the bathroom a hasty ‘be right back’ thrown over his shoulder.

“Would you relax?” Cat hissed, pulling away from her.

“What are you doing?” Kara shot back, scooting back.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, Carter picked this movie because he isn’t quite buying our relationship,” Cat explained, making sure to keep her voice down.

“What?” Kara demanded in disbelief.

“He all but accused me of lying,” Cat admitted, crossing her arms back over her chest.

“Which we are!” Kara reminded her.

“He can't know that!” Cat exclaimed, louder than she intended. She glanced towards the hall bathroom nervously, not wanting Carter to come back and find them bickering.

“So what are we supposed to do?” Kara wrapped her arms around her middle and followed Cat’s gaze towards the bathroom.

“If we could make it just a little more convincing...” Cat trailed off, sighing. It was the only thing she could think of. It was that, or to come clean about the whole thing.

“ _More_ convincing?” Kara repeated, eyes wide.

She couldn't believe she was going to ask Kara for this. “Some light hand holding, or a few chaste kisses…”

“Oh, Rao…” Kara rubbed her hands on her face, knocking her glasses up.

“Now, I can see how the idea might seem unnecessary,” she started, feeling her heart pounding as the statement hung out in the air between them. Kara’s expression was unreadable, her eyes hidden by a glare on her glasses, her bottom lip held between her teeth as she listened to Cat talk. Somewhere in the distance, Cat heard the sound of Carter’s imminent return and began rushing in her explanation. “Otherwise, the alternative is spilling your secret to a twelve year old boy—” Kara cut her off by suddenly leaning forward, putting a hand on the back of Cat’s neck and pulling her forward into a kiss.

Surprise overwhelmed Cat for a moment, keeping her frozen against Kara’s mouth until she felt the fingers on the back of her neck slide up to tangle into her hair, sending a shiver down her spine. Kara’s lips were gentler than she’d anticipated—a surprise when Cat considered that Kara was known to many as the ‘girl of steel’. As unexpected as the kiss was, Cat couldn’t deny that it felt _good_.

Cat let her eyes drift close as she relaxed into Kara’s warmth, returning the kiss instinctively. She found herself pushing forward, rising up onto her knees and tilting her head to take better control of the kiss. Kara leaned back as Cat shifted above her, her lips parting slightly as she sucked in a ragged breath, that sounded dangerously like a low whine. Cat brought her hands up to grasp Kara’s face, breathing deeply through her nose to avoid breaking the contact between them.

“Okay, gross.” Carter’s voice cut through air, causing Cat to pull back from Kara immediately. Carter was standing off to the side, his nose scrunched in distaste. “Maybe I wasn’t as ready as I thought,” Carter remarked, reclaiming his seat on the couch and pressing play on their movie.

Kara barked out a nervous laugh, wiping at her mouth. “Sorry,” Kara mumbled, twisting back towards the TV.

Cat tried to be inconspicuous as she smacked her lips together, trying to banish the faint tingling in her lips. “Not our fault you took forever, Carter,” she said, sitting forwards but leaving her arm slung on the back of the couch. Cat noted with amusement that Kara’s face was still bright red as she stared resolutely at the screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, do you guys think Carter knows? ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all you very very patient people. I am back finally with the chapter for you. Short chapter. Very short chapter. And completely unbeta'd But I hope that you will like it as I am taking the time to finally update this week. 
> 
> thank you all for your continued encouragement and reviews.

Cat opened her eyes, the muted morning light drifting in from the cracks in the blinds. It was still early by her estimate, probably around the usual time she woke up for work. She usually allowed herself a chance to sleep in on the weekends but there was no arguing with the pressure on her bladder that told her that she needed to get out of bed, now.

Once she was done, Cat washed her hands and returned to the bedroom, sitting gently on the edge of the bed. Kara was just as Cat had left her—face peaceful, hair splayed across the pillow. It should bug her that her assistant was so comfortable in her bed but Cat couldn’t help but find that the scene filled her with an odd sense of curiosity. Did aliens dream?

When Kara was like this Cat found it hard to believe that this was a girl who had fallen from the stars, who could fly, and who had kissed her less than twenty-four hours ago. Of course, the kiss had been nothing short of a charade—Cat had practically goaded her into it—and Kara had apologized profusely when they had been alone, half convinced that she’d acted without Cat’s consent and approval.

Cat sighed, remembering Kara’s terrified expression. She’d had to assure her that the kiss, while unexpected, hadn’t been anything less than Cat had been asking her for to dispel Carter’s suspicions. Cat had even been tempted to kiss Kara herself just to even the playing field and assuage the girl’s guilt but dismissed the idea when Kara had finally accepted her at her word.

Kara frowned in her sleep, ruining Cat’s contemplations. That answered that question. It seemed that whatever was going on was less than desirable. When a small whimper passed through Kara’s lips, Cat couldn’t help moving forward and running her fingers through the girl’s hair. Kara’s face relaxed and Cat spent several moments massaging Kara’s scalp with her fingertips until the girl let out a contented sigh.

Cat had allowed herself a few more moments to observe the sleeping girl before removing herself from bed, wrapping a silk robe around herself, and heading for the kitchen to find Carter before he fixed himself breakfast. Finding the living room empty, Cat decided that a little treat was in order and pulled the ingredients for pancakes down from the cabinet.

Twenty minutes later, Cat was stacking the first of the pancakes onto a plate when Carter shuffled into the kitchen. “Good morning, dear,” she greeted him.

“Morning, mom. Smells good.” Carter yawned, not bothering to cover his mouth. He blinked sleepily and looked around the room. “Kara isn’t up yet?”

“No, I thought we should actually let her sleep in.”

Carter nodded and sat in one of the bar stools, watching as Cat continued to cook. He seemed to rouse more the longer he watched, his eyes becoming more alert and his posture straightening from the lethargic slump he’d started at. “So, what are we going to do today?”

“I have a few errands to run,” Cat said, thinking of some dry cleaning she needed to drop off. It was usually a task that she would have regulated to her assistant but asking Kara to run her personal errands outside of the office didn’t feel right since they were sharing living quarters.

“Can we go to the farmer’s market again? I really want more of those grapes.” Carter rested his head on his hand.

Cat remembered last month when they had only visited the National City Farmer’s market. Carter had purchased only one bunch of grapes and had finished them all before the day was out. “I think we can swing that.” She smiled at him.

“Do you think Kara will like the farmers market?”

“I’m sure she will,” Cat said absently, flipping another pancake.

“’I’m sure she will’ what?” Kara turned the corner into the kitchen, yawning.

Cat couldn’t help doing a double take when she registered that Kara had joined them. Her hair was mussed from sleep, the long, wavy tresses artfully tousled. Cat noticed that Kara’s clothes were only slightly disheveled, her flannel pants hanging low on her hips and her loose, white t-shirt slightly hitched up to reveal a section of sun-kissed skin. Amazingly, she wasn’t wearing her glasses and Cat couldn’t help seeing the resemblance to her caped, alter-ego.

Carter’s voice cut into Cat’s thoughts. “Mom, you’re burning it.”

Cat blinked and glanced down at the stove where, sure enough, the pancake she was cooking was slightly crispier than intended. “Oh.” She quickly removed the pan from the stove, frowned and slid the ruined pancake into the trash. “I guess that’s enough pancakes, anyways.”

“Kara, you’re not wearing your glasses!” Carter said, squinting up at her.

Kara paused, lifting a hand to touch where her glasses should be and wincing when she realized her frames were missing. “Oh! I guess I left them in the bedroom.”

_Sloppy, Danvers_ , Cat thought. “Carter, will you set the table?”

Carter nodded, standing and heading for the cabinet. Kara flashed her grateful a small smile as Carter dashed out to the dining table with their cups and utensils.

“So, uh,” Kara started, attempting nonchalance. “Breakfast looks good.” Kara reached out to pick at top pancake on the stack and Cat slapped her hand away. “Ow!”

Cat rolled her eyes, sliding the plate of pancakes out of reach. “That didn’t hurt, you big baby.

Kara smiled. “Maybe not. But still...I’m hungry!”

“You can wait a few more minutes.” Cat gestured to the fridge. “Make yourself useful and give me some eggs.”

Kara pouted but went off to the fridge to do as she was told. She took the entire carton off eggs out and placed them on the counter. Cat removed five eggs and pushed the container away. “Okay, that will be enough.”

“Uh…” Kara squinted at the eggs. “How many are for me?”

“Two,” Cat answered promptly. Kara’s nose scrunched up as she made a face. “Do you want another?” Cat cocked an eyebrow.

“Please?” Kara held up two fingers. Cat rolled her eyes but removed an additional two eggs, bringing Kara’s total to four. “That’s better.”

Kara returned the remainder of the eggs back to the fridge. Circling the counter, Kara sat in Carter’s vacated bar stool and rested her face in her hands. The absence of her glasses was more noticeable up close.

“Do you often forget your glasses?” Cat asked, curious. She cracked the eggs into a new pan, tossing the shells into the trash.

“I, uh, usually don’t wear them at home so I guess I just…forgot.” Kara shrugged. “I should probably put them on before breakfast. I don’t want Carter to get suspicious.”

“I doubt Carter will notice anything.” She doubted that Carter would look at his mother’s assistant-turned-girlfriend and make the leapt to Supergirl.

“Still.”

Cat shrugged, adding a bit of butter to the pan. “Well, go grab your glasses. By the time you get back this will be ready.”

Kara nodded, sliding off the stool.

Cat focused on finishing cooking, scrambling the eggs until they were light and fluffy. Turning off the stove, Cat separated the eggs onto three plates. She gave Carter’s plate a healthy portion, herself a small scoop, and then just dumped the rest onto the last plate for Kara. Carter and Kara returned and Cat gave Kara the plates with eggs while Carter grabbed the syrup and ketchup to take the table.

By the time Cat made it with the pancakes, the two of them were seated in their usual seats across from each other and Carter was quizzing Kara on her eyesight.

“Okay, how many fingers am I holding up?” Carter held up four fingers.

“Carter,” Kara lamented. “I can see you just fine without my glasses.”

“Then why do you wear them all the time?”

Kara shrugged. “It’s easier since I need them to read anything." She looked down, obviously uncomfortable with lying so blatantly to Carter.

Carter’s reply died the second Cat placed the pancakes on the table. “Yes!”

Kara leaned forward and grabbed a pancake from the stack to add to her plate, humming contentedly. Cat didn’t hesitate to reach forward and brush Kara’s hair behind her shoulder so that it wouldn’t get in her food, accidently brushing Kara’s neck, feeling the jump in Kara’s pulse beneath her fingertips.

Cat pulled her hand away, her skin tingling slightly. “Uh, you two go ahead and start. I’m going to grab a drink.” Cat retreated to the kitchen, busying herself by pouring a glass of water and downing it.

Kara entered the kitchen. "Hey, you okay?"

"Go back to the table," Cat ordered, purposely not facing her. "I’m just getting a drink."

"It’s weird, isn’t it?" Kara asked quietly.

Cat sighed. “Only because I’m making it weird.” She crossed closer to Kara, pausing just short of reaching distance, determined not to let this feed into the insecurities that Kara was prone to. “Is it…too much?” She would hate herself if she pushed Kara too much.

Kara shook her head. “No, it’s…nice?” Cat scrutinized her, searching for a sign that Kara was trying to placate her. Kara noticed and took a deep breath to steady herself. “I’m serious. I haven’t exactly been around other people since my sister’s been gone.” She shrugged. “I guess I didn’t realize how much I missed just being close with someone.”

Cat nodded, curbing her desire to press the topic of Kara’s sister and the mysterious mission she was on. “If you’re sure…”

“I am. I promise.” Kara smiled softly.

“Well, alright then. Let’s go back before the food is completely inedible.”

She’d planned on only initiating contact sparingly and when Carter was present but with the knowledge that Kara wasn’t opposed to a bit of physical contact, Cat wasn’t worried as she Cat placed a hand on Kara’s arm, steering her out of the kitchen before letting her hand rest on the small of Kara’s back. Because exploiting her assistant for a favor was one thing but, if it was mutually beneficial? Well, then there was no harm in indulging Kara a bit.

* * *

 

In hindsight, Kara supposed that it was probably a mistake to have kissed Cat the way she did.

It wasn’t the fact that Cat had been mad about the kiss—they had discussed it several times over the course of the weekend—but the kiss seemed to open some kind of floodgates, paving the way for more physical contact between them than Kara had thought possible.

In the years as Cat’s assistant, she’d gotten used to small touches—the straightening of a shirt collar, a brush of the fingers as Cat took her latte or some paperwork—but she hadn’t fully grasped how tactile Cat was. Kara supposed she should have seen it coming with how she woke up every morning with Cat clinging to her in sleep, something she’d finally gotten to enjoy the previous morning when Kara had managed to wake up before Cat.

They spent most of Saturday running errands; the farmer’s market, the dry cleaners, a stop at a local bistro for lunch. They finished up the afternoon helping Carter finish up some homework. Cat had taken control of the public displays of affection and started small after their follow up discussion at breakfast—slipping her hand into Kara’s as they navigated the farmer’s market, giving her a quick kiss on the lips when she’d left Kara and Carter in the car to grab her dry cleaning.

Kara had kept waiting for something to call her away but National City hadn’t needed Supergirl’s intervention over the weekend. Kara's texts to Lucy were met with only mild ribbing to ‘enjoy her time off’. She hadn't responded to Lucy’s teasing, still not over what her friend had implied back at the DEO. She’d spent most of Sunday playing board games or lounging on the couch with Carter while Cat caught up on some work. Kara had offered to help but Cat had waved her away, warning her about labor law fines for working off the clock.

But all of this had culminated with Kara’s current predicament which was that she was standing in the middle of a hushed bullpen, her right hand, outstretched and empty, and her lips slightly pursed as Cat breezed past her into the office.

Kara replayed the morning in her head. She’d ducked out of Cat’s car on the way to the office to fly to Noonan's for Cat’s Monday morning latte, like she'd done the previous week, only, when Cat had exited her elevator and brushed her fingers over Kara's to take the cup, she’d pressed a kiss to Kara's lips as easily as if they'd been doing it for years. Now, Cat was in her office, phone to her ear, sipping lightly at her coffee.

And that was when the whispering started.

“Did I just see what I think I did?”

“Did Cat just kiss—?”

Winn rushed up to Kara, panic clear on his face. “Kara! What the hell was that?”

“Um, that was,” Kara paused, her super senses picking up more whispering. “I have to go.” Kara practically ran into Cat’s office, closing the glass door behind her. “Cat, we have a huge problem.”

“How bad is it?”

That was when Kara realized that Cat wasn’t on the phone, she was just pretending to be busy so that the other employees wouldn’t guess how shaken she was. Knowing that nothing would help Cat more than regaining control of the situation, Kara cocked her head to one side and let her superhearing take over _._

_“I always thought there was something more between them.”_

_“Now I know why Danvers lasted so long.”_

_“So Siobhan was obviously Cat trying to make her jealous, right?”_

_“Makes sense now. All this time and Cat’s been slipping it to her assistant, hehe.”_

Kara winced. “It’s pretty bad. They think we’ve been involved for a while.”

“Dammit,” Cat cursed, stomping to her desk.

“Maybe we can come up with some kind of excuse.” Kara started pacing back and forth, thinking. “Maybe you didn’t see it was me, maybe you were trying to kiss me on the cheek and missed! Wait that’s not much better. Maybe you were drunk!”

Cat clicked angrily on her keyboard before she sighed heavily. “That might have worked if not for this.”

“Not for what?”

Cat turned her laptop to show Kara the leading story on CatCo’s competitor’s website with a poorly taken shot of the two Grants and Kara at the eating lunch together and a headline that read: _Cat out of the bag? Cat Grant seen having an intimate family lunch with assistant._

Kara swore in Kryptonese.

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to rtarara and captain-jaybird for helping with edits and letting me bounce things off them.


End file.
